The Dragon's IceFeather
by Aoi Kazuya
Summary: My name is Icy. Icy Potter. I'm Harry Potter's sister...but only in name. I'm sure you've all read my brother's story...so now it's time for me to share mine. DracoOC  minor plot changes here and there to fit my character in
1. And Our Lives Are Changing

**A/N: So...I'm not sure about the name I gave my main character...but this idea's been growing in my mind for a really long time now. I finally decided to write it down, so here it is ^^**

**Leave a comment? Review? Are the characters OOC? You feel like flaming me? I just want to know what you guys think about this ^^ if anyone really likes it, I'll continue writing...if not...I guess it depends on my mood whether or not I continue writing it.**

**Disclaimer: I'm gonna put this here but the disclaimer is on my profile anyway. I don't own Harry Potter. Anything you don't recognize though**** (ex: Icy)****...that's mine ^^  
**

**awaiting your reviews~ Aoi-kun  
**

* * *

They weren't related. Not really. They knew that. After all, they didn't look alike at all, but still, they were the closest siblings around. Icy and Harry that is. Harry was a skinny kid with unkempt black hair that refused to lie neat no matter what he did to it, glasses, emerald-green eyes, and a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Icy was a thin girl with slightly wavy black hair with a blue-ish tint to it that fell down to about mid-back cut into three layers (straight bangs, then to chin-length, and finally the rest of her hair that just hung down her back), glasses, and silvery-white eyes.

When they were younger, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had told them that Icy had been adopted by the Potter's before they had died in the car crash. It hadn't come as a surprise to the two children; they had doubted that they were blood-related since they could remember anyway. Instead of tearing them apart though, that fact just seemed to bring them closer.

Harry was the older of the two, by almost two years. Icy was the more innocent of the two, Harry having shielded her from most bullies at school and torments of living with the Dursley's. And Icy was also severely dependent on her older brother. She wasn't shy, no, far from it, but she chose not to speak. She was also very smart for her age, seeing things and understanding things at a faster pace than many of the others around her, even adults at times were astounded by her perceptive skills. This only helped to fuel Harry's overprotective nature. The adults wanted to take Icy away, to study her, to see what made her so smart…but he refused to let them. He knew Icy was scared. She told him so oftentimes enough.

She confided in him what she couldn't to others and he was like her lifeline, supporting the small girl even when he could barely support himself. So, when a series of strange events started to happen around the two of them, the two found themselves needing each other more than ever.

Then the letters started appearing.

* * *

It had started off normal enough. Ever since getting his uniform Dudley had taken around to carrying around his Smelting's walking stick, banging it on anything he could reach. Harry was on the receiving end of many of those hits, between the ones aimed at himself and the one's aimed at Icy, Harry really had to have fast reflexes.

So, when they entered the kitchen for breakfast, Harry was quick to pull Icy out of the way as the walking stick whistled through the air, right where Icy's arm would have been had Harry not moved her. Icy's small fingers curled into the back of Harry's shirt as she peered over Harry's shoulder. Her black-rimmed glasses were starting to slide off the end of her nose and she ducked back behind harry to fix them.

Harry sat down at the table, Icy sliding into a chair next to him. The family ate in silence after Aunt Petunia set the table. A soft thump came from the front hallway.

"Dudley. Go get the mail." Uncle Vernon told his son.

"Make Harry get it."

"Harry, go get the mail."

"Make Dudley get it."

"Hit him with your Smelting's stick Dudley."

Harry ducked the swing, grabbing Icy's hand and pulling her out with him. Icy stumbled a few steps behind Harry, who slowed down to make sure she was okay before the pair approached the small pile of letters on the floor. As the two bent to pick up the envelopes, the each gathered half in their hands. They straightened back up before sifting through the mail. They froze simultaneously.

In Harry's hand was a letter with his _exact_ address, right down to his cupboard. And in Icy's hand was the same thing, only it had her name instead of Harry's. The two blinked in surprise at each other. Who would send letters to them? Least of all know where they slept?

Harry took the rest of the mail from Ivy's hand and took her free hand as she continued to stare at her letter unblinkingly.

"Wait Harry we shou-" She stopped speaking as soon as they entered the kitchen. Her mouth just snapped shut. Harry turned his head to give her a questioning glance as he handed the mail over to Uncle Vernon. She shook her head and slid back into her seat, Harry doing the same. As Uncle Vernon listed off what was in the mail, Harry began opening his letter, Icy chose to slide her's into the pocket of the overlarge pullover that she wore. And not a moment too soon either.

"Dad! Dad! Harry's got a _letter_."

Uncle Vernon looked up and quickly took the letter away from Harry. "Who would write to you boy?" he sneered. As Harry demanded that he give it back though, Uncle Vernon had already turned the letter over and had caught sight of the seal. His face immediately turned an ugly shade of purple as he spluttered.

"P-Petunia! P-Petunia!"

Icy took Harry's hand into her's and shook her head minutely. He understood what she meant and when Uncle Vernon threatened to throw them out if they didn't leave, he quickly pulled Icy out behind him. She patted her pocket to make sure her letter was still there as Dudley pressed his eye to the keyhole. She'd open it later.

At that moment the door opened again and Uncle Vernon glared at Harry and Icy. "Go to your cupboard. Dudley…just get out." Harry looked like he was going to protest but Icy pulled on his shirt before he could. They retreated into the small space that had been designated as their's.

"Why wouldn't you let me get my letter back Icy?" Harry inquired with a slightly irritated expression on his face. Icy blinked her almond-shaped eyes and shook her head. "Whoever sent you that letter had to have sent me the same one right?" Harry realized that Icy's letter hadn't been confiscated when his was and he nodded.

Icy took her letter back out of her pocket and slit it open neatly. Inside were three pieces of heavy looking paper…parchment maybe? She pulled them all out and unfolded the first one. Her eyes skimming over it.

"School of…" She trailed off as she continued to read.

"Special case…" she murmured. Harry studied his sister's expression as she read in the dim lighting and his curiosity mounted as her brow furrowed.

"Is that what everything that happened was…?"

Now he was lost. What was she talking to herself about? She moved onto the next piece of parchment, only skimming it before putting the two down and opening the third one.

Harry picked up the two she had put down and his eyes were instantly attracted to the parchment header.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" His eyes narrowed at the parchment before he put it back down, not even bothering to read the rest. As he looked back up, Icy was still staring at the third piece of parchment. The only change in her stance was the hand that had crawled up and wrapped around the ring she always wore on a chain around her neck.

"What is that Icy?" Harry reached out to take it from her but before his fingers could even brush the parchment, Icy had folded it up and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans. "That one was personal…" she whispered, a strange emotion clogging her voice. Harry couldn't place what it was though.

He let it slide though as he waved the other two pieces of parchment. "Can you believe this? Are they joking? Do they actually expect us to fall for such a stupid joke?" Icy's eyes flashed slightly, Harry couldn't have been sure though in the dark space.

"A joke…is that what you think this is Harry?"

Icy's serious tone, even softened as it was by her childish innocence, made Harry pause momentarily. Then he shook his head. "Icy…you know better than this, the Dursley's are probably just trying to make fools of us."

Icy averted her eyes and nodded. The sound of paper ripping had her jerking her head up quickly though.

"Harry-!"

There was no point though. It was too late. He had already shredded her letters. Well…at least she still had the one in her pocket.

"You overlooked an important fact though Harry…Uncle Vernon seemed just as surprised as we did when he saw the letter. We both know he isn't that good of an actor." Icy murmured before gathering up the bits and pieces of her letter and dropping them all into the trash bin.

Harry was silent as the information sunk in. "Oh…I'm sorry Icy…I hadn't thought-"

"It's fine Harry." Icy closed her eyes and lay down, curling into a small ball. Harry placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair lightly. "We'll be fine Icy. We'll get out of here someday."

* * *

Yet, even if Harry had claimed that it was all a joke, he couldn't deny his own curiosity, especially whenever he would catch Icy sneaking glances down at the pocket he knew she kept the third part of her letter in. She still hadn't told him what it was about, but it made him wonder what could have possibly been within his own letter. That's when things started going crazy.

Letters for Harry and Icy kept coming. Through slits in the doorway, rolled into eggs, you name it. Finally it was the weekend. More specifically, it was Sunday. And as they all knew, there was no post on Sundays. Uncle Vernon seemed especially pleased of that fact as he sat smiling to himself in his armchair. Or at least until he got smacked right in the face by a letter that had whizzed down the chimney.

And it all went downhill from there. For Uncle Vernon that is. Letter after letter kept shooting out of the chimney. Uncle Vernon gave a mighty roar and had to literally throw Harry out of the room, Icy following after, to keep them from grabbing any letters. As he slammed the door to the living room shut, Icy sat on the floor, her legs to her sides, rubbing at a spot on her head that she had bumped when Uncle Vernon had tossed her out after Harry.

"It's useless." She murmured. As Harry stared at the door to the living room, he wasn't sure if it was him she was talking to, or if it was Uncle Vernon. It was one of those things that she seemed to do a lot, speak in ambiguous sentences.

Even as he wondered about the meaning behind Icy's words, Uncle Vernon wrenched the door back open, scaring Harry, Dudley, and Aunt Petunia in the process. He did look awfully frightening, half his moustache having been pulled out in his frustration. Icy merely regarded him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Go. Pack some bags. We're going out." He managed out. The four other members of the family exchanged looks before parting to quickly do what had been commanded.

A half hour later, all five were packed into Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley sniffling. His father had yelled at him for holding them up as he tried to stuff electronics into a duffel bag. All was silent as Uncle Vernon drove on. He didn't seem to have a clear destination in mind though, as he kept taking random turns, muttering to himself in the process. After watching the scenery pass by for an hour or two, Icy's head fell onto her brother's shoulder and she fell asleep.

She was awoken by someone shaking her shoulder.

"Icy, wake up."

Icy cracked her eyes open to meet Harry's eyes. He quickly moved his head back so that she could sit up to see where they were. It was a small hotel inn kind of thing. Uncle Vernon got them a room and Harry and Icy ended up sleeping on the floor. Dudley having gotten one bed while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon shared the other. It wasn't all that uncomfortable though, at least they had a few blankets to use.

During breakfast the next day, the manager approached the group as they sat eating a cold breakfast of toast and tinned tomatoes.

" 'scuse me, but any of you's 'arry and Icy Potter?"

The two children jerked their heads up.

"Only, I gots about a 'undred of these by the fron' desk."

Then he held up an envelope. Harry jumped up for it at the same time as Uncle Vernon did. The big man knocked Harry's arm aside and cleared his throat, the manager's eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets. "I-I'll take them."

Harry sat next to Icy, once again back in the car, grumbling under his breath. Icy softly took one of Harry's hands into both of her own, lacing their fingers together before smiling sweetly up at him. His fury melted away and he returned her smile, raising a hand to ruffle her hair once again. "Thanks Icy…"

The next time they stopped they were next to what appeared to be an ocean. Spray from the waves hit them as they all clambered into a small waterlogged boat. Uncle Vernon picked up the oars, setting the long thin package he was carrying down under his seat. Icy stared at the horizon as the made their way towards the house precariously perched on rocks in the middle of the body of water.

* * *

"Here."

Each person was given a bag of chips and a banana for dinner. After that, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon retreated to the "master" bedroom to sleep on the only bed in the house. Dudley was given the couch with the warmest blankets that Aunt Petunia could find. Icy and Harry were given a single moth-bitten blanket to share between them.

Together they found the softest bit of ground they could before lying down. Icy cuddled into Harry for warmth, the small boy looping his arms protectively around his sister as the two lay, awake, under the thin blanket. None of them could have explained it, why the both of them remained awake, just staring up at the dark ceiling.

There was a small light, barely a glow, coming from Dudley's watch, which hung over the edge of the couch's armrest. Judging from that, it was almost Harry's birthday. Icy made a thoughtful sound before turning onto her stomach, breaking the hold Harry had on her and reaching past the blanket with a small hand, dragging a small finger through the dirt. It took a few seconds before Harry joined her, blinking at what she was drawing.

It was a simple cake really; the one Icy drew in the dirt. She carefully wrote the words 'Happy Birthday Harry' on the cake before drawing eleven candles with flames on it. Then the two children turned their eyes to the watch, counting down the seconds to Harry's eleventh birthday.

"Make a wish Harry…" Icy whispered. Harry met her gaze before smiling softly at her and then blowing at the candles.

A bang reverberated through the entire house, causing Harry and Icy to sit up, Dudley falling off his couch, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon ran out of the other room. Uncle Vernon had a rifle clutched in his meaty hands that explained the thin package from before. Another bang. And then another and the front door fell in to reveal a rather large man standing in the now gaping hole, the storm raging behind him.

He stooped to enter, bending over to pick up the door and setting it back in its frame before turning back to the five occupants of the room.

"Hello."

Silence. Just for a moment. Enough for Icy to stand and tilt her head slightly, her pale gaze assessing the big man as Harry scrambled up to place a hand on her shoulder. "Who are you?" she asked in a soft voice.

The man's beetle black eyes met hers and she could see the kindness radiating off of them. He moved closer and sat down on the couch, Dudley making a sound of fright as he ran to his parents. "Harry an' Icy… Las' time I saw you two, you was only babies." He moved his gaze to Harry. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

Uncle Vernon made a funny sound. "Get out of here! This is breaking and entering sir!" Uncle Vernon suddenly shouted, waving his gun around. The man turned and reached out a hand, easily twisting the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands and twisting it into a knot.

"Ah, shut up Dursley, yeh great prune."

He then returned his attention to the children before him, this time addressing Icy. "You, on the other hand, look a lot like yer mum. I would've thought you was her if I didn't know better." As Icy took the time to process this information, the great man reached into his pockets and started emptying things out of his pockets, mentioning something about having a present for Harry, it being his birthday and all.

He finally produced a somewhat squashed box and handed it to Harry. Harry opened the box hesitantly and examined the sticky chocolate cake, birthday wishes written on it in green ink. When Harry looked up, Icy could see the confusion dancing in his eyes. He probably meant to thank the giant but instead he asked, "Who are you?"

The giant chuckled before introducing himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Hogwarts…Icy glanced down at her pocket again, sliding a small hand into the pocket and withdrawing the letter, holding it loosely in her hands as she tuned out the rest of Harry's and Hagrid's conversation.

Hogwarts… maybe she'd get some answers there. Who her parents truly were…why they hadn't wanted her…and how she had ended up with the Potter's. Everything she'd always wondered about and that she'd never get answers too... and maybe… she could find out who that boy was. The boy whose name was etched into the inside of the ring she wore on her necklace. Harry didn't know about it of course. She'd found it by pure accident actually. Icy was prone to playing with the ring whenever she found her hands idle, so she found the irregular feeling on the inside of the ring while she was playing, it was nearly invisible to the naked eye but Icy had been able to somehow read the name etched into the band. She'd never brought it up with the Dursley's though. Don't ask questions…that was one of the many rules she'd been quick to pick up on during her stay in the Dursley household.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid's voice suddenly thundered, breaking Icy from her musings. He leapt off the couch and turned on the Dursley's who had taken to cowering against the wall. Icy edged closer to her brother, grabbing a handful of his shirt and holding on loosely. She zoned out again as Hagrid continued to roar at the Dursley's before explaining things to Harry. Things that Icy had already figured out when she'd first read her letter.

Once again she was broken from her musings, this time by a letter being held out in front of her. She accepted it with a small smile to the giant and opened it simultaneously with Harry. It was her acceptance letter. A new one.

"What do they mean by "we await your owl"?" Harry asked curiously.

Hagrid clapped a hand to his forehead before pulling several items out of his pocket. A live owl was among those items. Icy reached out a hand cautiously and pet the bird as Hagrid scribbled out a letter that Harry was reading upside down. After he was finished with his letter, Hagrid gave it to the owl before throwing it out the door and into the raging storm. Icy felt a small pang of sympathy for the small bird as she thought about how its journey through the raging storm would most definitely not be a pleasant one.

As Uncle Vernon stepped forward to voice his objections, Aunt Petunia to shriek about her sister, and Hagrid to thunder over all of them, Icy once again took her brother's hand and ran her fingers over the back of it, the conversation… rather, the shouting match… taking a backseat in her mind, just a small buzz in the back of her consciousness.

She listened with faint interest as Hagrid went on and on about Voldemort, or You-Know-Who, and about how he had been the greatest dark wizard of his time and how he had fallen by Harry's hands. "I told you you were great…" Icy murmured, standing slightly on tiptoe to reach Harry's ear. Hagrid gave her a funny look before continuing on with his speech about Hogwarts and how Harry would fit right in.

That is until Uncle Vernon interrupted again. Icy sighed as Uncle Vernon exploded. That man never could learn when to just shut up. It was then that Icy was given the first glimpse of magic she was actually paying attention to. A large grin split her lips as Dudley howled in pain, clutching at his bottom, where a pig's tail had sprouted.

"Meant ter turn him into a pig…he was so much like a pig…wasn't much else left to do…" Hagrid said ruefully. Then he went into an explanation as to why he wasn't allowed to use magic. Icy would've paid attention but it was getting really late…in fact it was really early in the morning now. Her eyes started fluttering and despite all her best efforts she couldn't keep them open much longer. Her grip on Harry's hand loosened until her hand fell and she lost her balance, almost falling to the floor if not for Harry's fast reflexes. He caught his sister and slowly lowered her onto the floor. Hagrid took that as his cue.

"We've got lots ter do tomorrow and it's gettin' late." he took off his coat and threw it at Harry. "You two can kip under that. Don' mind if it wriggles. I got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."


	2. Meeting An Angel

**A/N: Here's chapter two ^^ I'm sorry for any OOC-ness, disclaimer is on my profile. Also, for my wand information, I chose the things I did for a reason, I used a website (wizardingrealm . net (take out the spaces)) to reference the info. Also, please excuse my grammar. Icy's personality might switch around a few times, she's a nine-year-old and I might make her a little more childish as she learns to open up to the people around her, and as I develop her character (or attempt to) more. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you want~**

**~[Aoi-Kun]**

* * *

Icy awoke to something attacking the coat she lay under. As she raised a fist to rub the sleep from her eyes, Harry's voice spoke up.

"Hagrid! There's an owl-"

Then Hagrid interrupted with a grunt, telling Harry to pay the owl. Harry proceeded to pull the coat up and his green eyes met Icy's white ones. "Icy! Did I wake you up?" Icy shook her head as she sat up, yawning into her hand and she brushed off her clothes. Harry had begun searching through the pockets of Hagrid's coat and finally emerged victorious with a pile of coins in his hand. Hagrid then told Harry which ones to give the owl, and then the owl flew back out the window.

As Hagrid sat up to pull his boots back on, Harry's face fell at about the same time Icy's expression turned thoughtful.

"Hagrid?"

"Mm?"

"I…we haven't got any money. And Uncle Vernon said he wouldn't be paying for us…"

"Don't worry. D'yeh think your parents didn't leave yeh anything?"

"But their house-"

"They kept their gold in Gringotts boy! Wizards' bank." Hagrid motioned to the sausages and birthday cake. The two children each took a bit of sausage, biting into their pieces simultaneously. Icy left Harry and Hagrid to their conversation as she took a few steps closer to the window. She stared out across the water, the waves calm, much calmer than when compared to last night. Funny how one's life could change so drastically in just a few hours. Icy finished her bit of sausage and looked around for something to wipe her hands on. After she had cleaned up, she saw that Harry was finished with his conversation and the two males had both stood up. Icy was quick to make her way to Harry's side, the nine-year-old girl taking the now eleven-year-old boy's hand.

Hagrid led them outside after making sure they had gotten everything. The sea gleamed in the sunlight as Icy cast her gaze across the pristine waters. In her peripheral vision she could see Harry looking every which way, probably trying to find how Hagrid had gotten there. The only source of transportation that was visible was the boat that Uncle Vernon had used to get to the house on the rock the day before.

It was into this boat that they all scrambled. During the ride back to civilization, Hagrid was reading the newspaper that the owl had delivered earlier. Icy stared at the moving pictures with wide eyes, a faint smile adorning her lips. Hagrid and Harry were once again talking, and as per usual Icy wasn't paying any attention. A bad habit of hers, but could one really blame her? After all, she _was_ only nine.

As the boat bumped into the harbor wall, Icy was jarred from her musings. Harry helped her to clamber up the stone steps and onto the street. She held tightly onto her brother's hand as he followed closely behind Hagrid.

* * *

By and by, the three of them found themselves seated on the train. As Hagrid worked on his knitting, Harry and Icy pulled out their supplies list to look it over. As Icy's eyes skimmed over the names of the books and their author's, a wry smile appeared on her lips and she giggled, catching Harry's attention. He gave her a curious glance. Icy caught his eye and grinned wider before tugging on his hand to bring his own list closer to her. She pointed at each names as she explained what she had found so amusing.

"For the book of spells…Goshawk…go shock… transfiguration…. switch… spore… potions…arson…fantastic beasts…newt salamander… dark forces… quake and tremble…" It took most of the train ride for Icy to explain each one to her brother, but by the end of it, even Hagrid was smiling.

* * *

The Leaky Cauldron. Such a grubby looking pub and yet Icy couldn't help but turn her head every which way to take it all in. She'd been quick to spot it, noticing it even before Harry had, and she thought the whole thing looked interesting. How different it was from the places that muggles normally visited.

As people noticed Harry's presence, Icy hid behind her older brother and gripped the back of his shirt tightly as witches and wizards lined up to shake his hand. She silently watched them all with her unnerving gaze. None of the older witches or wizards could hold that pale gaze for very long before they turned away, shuddering. Icy giggled again to herself before Hagrid introduced Harry to Professor Quirrel. Icy's grin fell away as she met the professor's gaze. She stared at him unblinkingly before pulling her gaze away and hiding completely behind Harry. She didn't like that man. Not at all.

Soon, the three of them, Hagrid, Harry, and Icy were heading out the back door of the Leaky Cauldron. As Icy listened to Harry and Hagrid converse, she knew that they would be closer then she could ever be to the gamekeeper.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Hagrid announced, tapping a brick on the wall and causing an opening to appear, wide enough for the three to pass through. Both Harry and Icy kept turning their heads, trying to take everything in as they followed slowly after Hagrid. He seemed to be heading for the large white building directly straight down the path they were following. It was leaning at a strange angle and appeared to be made of a pure white marble…or something akin to that. Icy gave the goblin at the entrance a curious look before Harry pulled her onwards.

Once inside, Hagrid spoke to the goblin at the front desk as Harry and Icy watched the other seated goblins work, weighing precious gems and such. After much emptying of pockets before Hagrid was able to produce two small golden keys and a letter, the trio was provided with yet another goblin, Griphook, as their guide. He led them through a side door, where they all piled into what looked like a mining cart before speeding away.

For the majority of the ride Icy kept her hands firmly clenched around Harry's arm. She wasn't particularly scared of the ride per se, but the speed had been so unexpected, and there wasn't much else to hold onto that she found really comforting.

The first stop was Harry's vault. The two children were in awe of the piles of coins within the vault. After Harry had finished filling a pouch with money, the four piled back into the cart, off to Icy's vault next. Icy's vault was even deeper than Harry's and was even grander, filled not only with coins, but trinkets and other things as well. As Icy picked up a ring off one of the shelves she wondered just who her parents had been, before Hagrid's voice told her to hurry up. Icy quickly filled the pouch she'd been provided with money, slipping the silver ring she'd been examining onto her right middle finger as she did so. She turned and exited the vault hastily, climbing back into the cart for the trip down to the final vault.

Icy fiddled with the ring she had slipped onto her own finger as she felt Harry, Hagrid, and Griphook leave the cart to retrieve whatever it was they needed out of the final vault. There was a crest of some sort on the piece of jewelry with words in a language Icy didn't recognize twisting around the entire band of the ring, or at least the parts that weren't covered by the crest. As Icy tried to make out the words, she didn't realize when the others returned to the cart and only looked up when the wind began to rush around the cart once again.

* * *

After the trip to Gringott's Icy felt a little…strange. She had her own money for once. She could actually _buy_ something. But…she glanced back down at her hand, that ring and its mysterious writing kept distracting her.

"Come on Icy, we need to get our stuff."

It was quick work with Hagrid helping them to gather their supplies. Soon, they just had to get their wands, robe fittings, and animals. It seemed a unanimous choice to get wands first.

"Ollivander's. There ain't no place better."

Icy glanced in the front window, the single wand on the pillow attracting her attention. A wand…it just seemed to make everything even more real than it already was. Zoned out as she was, when she realized there was a man standing in front of her, where there had not been one before, she made a frightened sound and took a step back, almost tripping over her own feet.

"A little young isn't she Hagrid?" Mr. Ollivander asked as he retreated to his shelves of boxed wands, searching for ones for Harry and Icy to try.

"Dumbledore said that she would be ready."

Ollivander gave no reply as he returned with a stack of boxes. He put them all down and then turned to the children. He examined them from head to toe before pulling a random box out of the pile he had brought and offering it to Harry. Harry took it and waved it a few times. Nothing happened and Ollivander snatched it from his hands. This happened a few more times before Ollivander came to a box that made him pause.

"Curious…Try this one Mr. Potter. 11 inches long, made of holly, with a phoenix feather core. Nice and supple."

Something in the air changed when Harry grasped that wand. A change that even Icy could feel. As Ollivander went on to explain Harry's wand's origins Icy let her gaze wander again. That is, until she found a wand stuck under her nose.

"If you will Ms…Potter."

Icy reached out and grasped the cool wood. Nothing. It seemed to almost be a repeat of Harry's experience, Ollivander getting more and more excited as the pile of 'not-right' wands continued to grow. Finally, he ducked behind his desk and pulled out a wand he had been keeping there.

"I don't usually work with this material…nasty tempers they have…11 inches long as well, made of gingko, with a veela hair core and a chimera scale fragment. Really quite rare…if you will…"

Icy just nodded, not knowing much about wandlore and reached out, wrapping her fingers around the base of the wand delicately. Almost instantly a shot of warmth went up her arm. Icy brought the wand to her eyes and stared at it in fascination, and with a little prompting from the old wandmaker, waved it. A shower of silver and red sparks danced from the wandtip. Mr. Ollivander clapped his hand delightedly before taking the wand to put back into its case. He proceeded to ring the two wands up (Icy's was considerably more expensive than Harry's) before bowing the two (with Hagrid in tow) out of his shop.

Hagrid decided to take the two to the Magical Menagerie next, but while they were walking, Icy somehow got separated from her companions. One moment she was holding onto Harry's hand, the next, she was completely alone, holding onto the package that contained her new wand. She looked around, mystified. How did you lose someone as big as Hagrid anyway? She didn't have an answer for that and started off in the direction she last remembered they were heading in.

As was her habit, Icy's mind wandered as she walked and soon she found herself on the floor, blinking up at a pair of gray eyes that seemed surprised that somebody had walked into their owner.

"I'm sorry. That was my fault, wasn't it?" Icy asked, tilting her head slightly, not bothering to get up as she hugged her package to her chest.

"It was." The boy responded before holding out his hand. "My parents would be mad if they knew I didn't help a girl up after making her fall over…even if it wasn't my fault."

Icy smiled slightly before taking the hand and letting him help her back up. He was taller than her by an inch or two and had white-blonde hair, slicked back, with a pale pointed face.

"My name's Icy. What's yours?" Icy introduced herself. She couldn't explain the feelings of trust she had for this boy, but it was there and she was willing to act upon them.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"Draco…that's a nice name."

"Thanks."

Icy grinned again, managing to get Draco to smile slightly back at her before two adults, probably Draco's parents judging from their appearances, approached. Draco let go of Icy's hand then, neither of the children realizing they had been holding hands till then.

"Oh Draco, who's your friend?" Draco's mother asked. Icy blinked at the woman, suddenly feeling really shy. As Draco turned to answer his mother, Icy hid behind his back, peering over his shoulder at the adults and Draco, who were all giving her bemused looks. Draco's mother laughed before approaching Icy and smiling kindly.

"Hello, I'm Narcissa Malfoy and this is my husband, Lucius Malfoy. Do you mind telling me your name?"

"Everyone calls me Icy."

Narcissa smiled again. "Alright then Icy. Are you lost?"

Icy nodded. "I was walking to the Magical Menagerie with my brother and…" what was Hagrid considered? "…our supervisor. I got lost."

Narcissa turned to her husband and Draco turned back to Icy, taking her hand again. "I can show you where it is. If you want."

"That would be nice." Icy whispered, a small smile back on her lips.

Narcissa smiled at the two children before a flash of silver caught her eye. "Icy dear, what is that on your finger?"

Icy looked up at Narcissa and then down to her hand. "A ring I found. It was in my Gringott's vault." She raised her hand then so that Narcissa could see the engravings on the ring. She watched with a confused expression as Narcissa's eyes widened at the familiar crest.

"Icy…what's your full name?" Narcissa asked slowly, taking the young girl's hand with both of hers to get a better look at the ring.

"I…I don't know." Icy admitted. Narcissa looked almost disappointed before she smiled again and released Icy's hand. "Draco, why don't you show Icy where the menagerie is? Then you can go ahead to get your robe fitting."

After Draco nodded, the two children were off, Icy holding firmly onto Draco's hand, not wanting to get lost again. After all, she might not be able to meet another family as nice as the Malfoy's the next time around.

* * *

"Where'd you go Icy?" Harry asked as soon as Icy entered the dark store. His green eyes used what little light was available to check his sister for injury. Icy shook her head to show that she was fine before a wide grin split her lips and she kneeled down as a kitten mewled near her feet. She pet the little thing softly, ecstatic when it started purring. Harry watched his sister with a content look in his eyes before he sighed and helped Icy stand back up.

"You know you can't get a kitten Icy. The Dursley's would never let."

The frown that appeared on Icy's lips almost made Harry take back what he'd said. At that moment though, he spotted a snowy owl. He instantly knew that that was the owl he would be getting.

When they left the menagerie, Harry was holding onto the cage of a beautiful snowy white owl and Icy held onto the cage of a cute little tawny owl. She would have preferred the kitten but…this was the next best thing, she supposed. She glanced at the list of supplies she'd taken out, checking things off mentally.

"We just have to get our robes then Harry." Icy said, looking around for an indication as to where they were supposed to be headed. Hagrid nudged them in the right direction before excusing himself to go get a 'pick-me-up' from the Leaky Cauldron. Harry and Icy entered the store together.

A kind looking lady greeted the two of them. "Hogwarts my dears?"

Harry nodded. She ushered Harry over to the other room, telling him to stand on a small step. Then she turned to Icy. "A little young aren't you?" Icy nodded. The lady smiled. "Come on then, I'm sure I have something for you in the back."

Icy's fitting went by quickly, and then the kind witch went back out to help Harry. Icy examined her robes a bit before deciding to show Harry. She hopped off the step she was on and carefully walked back out to the front. She could hear voices talking, one was Harry's the other…was that Draco again?

Icy poked her head through the doorway. Quickly spotting her brother and Draco in conversation as Harry was getting fitted, she made her way over.

"Look Harry, Madame Malkin had a robe just my size." Icy said happily, raising her arms slightly to free her hands. Draco stopped mid-sentence and both boys turned to look at the small girl.

"That's great Icy." Harry finally said. Icy blinked and looked from him to Draco. Had something happened while she was gone? Harry didn't sound all that happy anymore.

"Oh, thank you again Draco." Icy remembered, turning to the blond. Draco looked between Icy and Harry. Harry's expression was confused as he wondered how his little sister knew the kid next to him. "This is my brother that I told you about." Icy added.

"Oh." Draco turned back to look at the robes Icy was wearing. "Are you starting at Hogwarts this year too Icy?"

"Mhm."

"I didn't know you were eleven."

"I'm not."

Madame Malkin finished up with Harry's robes finally and helped him out of them. Then she turned to help Icy out of her robes as well. Icy reached up and pushed her hair back over her shoulder before wandering closer to where Harry and Draco stood. "I'm going early." She said. "I'll see you later?"

She didn't seem to quite catch the look of distaste that flashed across Harry's face as he watched Icy interact with Draco. Draco, on the other hand, didn't miss it.

"Yea. Sure. I'll see you."

With one last smile at the blond, Icy took Harry's hand and they left the store together, multiple packages in their hands once more.

* * *

Once outside, Harry turned to Icy with a slight frown on his face. "How do you know him Icy?"

"He helped me find you after I got lost."

"I don't like him."

Icy blinked slowly at her brother, swinging their clasped hands as they walked. In her peripheral vision she could see Hagrid waving to get their attention.

"I'm sorry about that Harry. But he's my friend." She finally replied, breaking her suddenly unblinking gaze to look down the path to where Hagrid was waiting. She said no more on the subject, and Harry knew better than to bring it up with her again.


	3. Our First Step Apart

**A/N: Sorry for the slow updates guys, my life's gotten really busy and I'm packing my stuff cause apparently I'm moving. Which sucks. 'Cause I don't want to move...but that's life I suppose. Anyway, I don't have much else to say for now, so enjoy the chapter  
**

**~ [Aoi-Kun]**

* * *

It was finally the day. Icy sat up from where she had spent much of the night just staring at the ceiling before turning to shake Harry's shoulder to wake him up as well. The Dursley's might have let the two of them move into Dudley's second bedroom, but they hadn't provided them with an extra bed, so the two children continued to share the one they did have.

"Harry…wake up."

It took a few minutes more before his green-eyes opened and Icy handed him his circular glasses as he sat up beside her. The two of them stared at the calendar that Harry had been using to keep track of the days leading up to September first. Harry turned to his sister with a wide grin.

"Let's go Icy."

* * *

The car ride to King's Cross station was rather silent, which didn't bother Icy much as she stared out the window, absently taking Harry's hand into her's. When they finally did reach the station, Icy found it a little strange when Uncle Vernon got out and helped them to load their trunks and owls onto trolleys and then proceeded to help wheel them into the station. Icy scanned the station and quickly understood why Uncle Vernon was so happy.

"Well, there's Platform 9 and Platform 10. They don't seem to have built your platform yet. Have a nice term."

With that he turned and left with a cackle. Icy turned her eyes onto his retreating back and watched as a shudder ran along his spine as if he realized she was staring after him. By the time she had returned her attention to the matter of finding Platform 9 ¾ , she saw that Harry had already walked over to a conductor to ask him about the platform. Icy watched as the man seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with her brother with each passing moment. Icy gripped tightly onto the trolley with her things before turning to scan the crowd around her. After what seemed like hours, she finally saw something.

_An owl._

A family of red-heads was passing by, and they had an owl perched on one of the trolleys they were pushing. Harry seemed to have seen them as well as he hurried over and Icy released her grip from his trolley so that he could wheel it himself. Together they approached the rather large family.

"Excuse me." Harry started, gaining the attention of the woman Icy decided was the mother of the bunch.

"I was wondering if you could…I mean…"

"Do you know how we can get to Platform 9 ¾ ma'am?" Icy spoke up.

The woman smiled kindly, her whole person giving off a kind of comfortable warmth. "First year at Hogwarts dears? It's Ron's first year too." She indicated one of the red-headed boys. "Now, to get onto the platform, you just have to run through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10."

Harry blinked in disbelief as Icy cocked her head to the side, contemplating said barrier.

"Look, watch Fred go through first." She indicated another red-headed boy, this one happened to be one of a pair of twins. "I'm George!" he protested. "Honestly, and you call yourself our mother."

"Oh I'm sorry George."

The boy started for the barrier, right before he passed through he turned his head and grinned. "Only joking, I am Fred." His twin followed after him shortly.

The woman turned back to Icy and Harry and smiled again. "Alright then, why don't you two go on before Ron?" The siblings shared a glance before nodding.

"Thank you ma'am." Icy said again before she followed after Harry towards the barrier. The closer they got, the faster they went, until they were both running straight for the barrier. Icy closed her eyes as the barrier neared and only reopened them again when a loud whistle greeted her ears. She slowed down until she came to a stop and looked around with wide eyes. There was a scarlet engine in the station already and the amount of people… Icy's eyes widened as she took in the many scenes of families saying their 'see you later's'. It was so…different than what she was so used to.

"Icy!"

Said girl turned her head at Harry's call and noticed him already near one of the doors onto the train. She carefully picked her way through the crowds before staring forlornly at the steps that led into the body of the train. Harry would have trouble getting his trunk up those steps…she didn't even want to think about how hard it would be for her to get her own trunk up.

"Need help with those?"

It was the twins from earlier. Fred and George was it? Harry replied and the two red-heads helped the two children haul their trunks into the train. After both the children's trunks were safely away in a compartment the three boys stopped for a breather.

"Thanks." Harry said, as he pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"What's that?"

"Blimey. Are you-?"

"He _is_." The twin that had spoken switched his attention to Harry. "Aren't you?"

Harry just looked confused. "What?"

"_Harry Potter._"

"Oh, him." Icy covered her mouth to suppress a giggle as Harry rushed to correct himself. "I mean, yes, I am." Icy giggled again and the twins turned from their gawking to grin at the young girl

"And who are you?"

"I'm Icy." She replied, smiling brightly at the twins. They smiled back and looked as if they wanted to say more before a voice floated in from the train's open door.

"Fred? George? Are you there?"

"Coming, Mom."

With a last look at the two first-years, the twins hopped off the train. Harry sat down next to the window and Icy sat across from him, playing with the ring she'd taken from her vault once again. She spun the piece of jewelry around her finger, watching the light dance off of the silver band. She wished that she could understand what was written on it, but she'd had no luck in translating it.

When the train's loud whistle broke through her thoughts, Icy looked up to find Harry looking out the window and she peered out as well. He seemed to have been watching the red-headed family from earlier. They had been nice…

Icy stood up from her seat to move to the one next to Harry. Harry scooted over and patted the now empty window seat. Icy grinned before sitting down, resting her head on Harry's shoulder as a small yawn slipped from her lips. Harry smiled and took Icy's hand in one of his own, holding her hand tightly. Icy didn't complain, only choosing to squeeze his hand in return.

The compartment door slid open then and the youngest red-headed boy entered. "Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing to the seat Icy had just vacated. "Everywhere else is full."

Icy felt Harry shake his head and she watched as the boy sat down. The door slid open again and Icy lifted her head to see who it was this time.

"Hey, Ron." It was the twins again. They mentioned something about a tarantula and Icy perked up. The twins seemed to notice and exchanged grins. "Hey Icy, you want to go see with us?" one of them asked while the other introduced himself and his two brothers to Harry. Icy nodded and then looked up at Harry. He seemed to think for a moment before letting go of her hand. She smiled brightly again before hopping from her seat and immediately taking hold of George and Fred's hands. The two seemed momentarily surprised before grinning and dragging her off with them, somehow remembering to close the compartment door behind them as they went.

* * *

"Lee Jordan's one of our friends. You'll like him if you get on with us." Fred said to Icy as he and his brother led her through the corridors of the train, avoiding the random students that were running up and down, chasing each other.

"Really?" Icy inquired before George pulled her into another compartment, Fred coming up behind her. Inside was another boy that Icy took to be Lee Jordan and three girls. All eyes turned to her.

"Fred? George? Who's she?"

"Name's Icy, she was hanging out with Potter, wanted to come and see Lee's tarantula. Isn't that right Icy?" Fred supplied, grinning widely. Icy clung tightly to the twins' hands before nodding shyly.

"She looks a bit young to be starting at Hogwarts." One of the girls said, noticing Icy's glance she smiled at her. "My name's Katie. Katie Bell."

Her introduction started a round of intros. The girl next to her smiled and waved slightly. "Alicia Spinnet. Nice to meet you Icy."

"Angelina Johnson. I hope the twins haven't been filling your mind with lies."

Icy smiled wider. "Oh no, Fred and George are both really nice to me." She said before glancing at the floor. "Is it…a bad thing that I'm not eleven yet…?" she asked in a quiet voice. Unbeknownst to Icy, George and Fred exchanged glances over her head before pulling her over to the empty seats next to Lee and sitting down, pulling her to sit in between them, making her laugh as they draped their arms over her shoulders.

"'Course not. Just means we've discovered a genius." They chorused, making Icy laugh again. She was happy. Genuinely happy, she'd never had this much fun with other people since…well…ever she supposed.

"How old are you anyway Icy?" Katie asked during a lull in the laughter and conversations that had taken place. Icy took a second to process the question before replying with a simple, "Nine."

Lee gave a low whistle. "If I wasn't impressed by the way you handled that tarantula…I definitely am now. What'd you do to get in so early anyway?"

Icy blinked in response. An abnormal silence filled the compartment. That is until Icy shrugged. "Not sure."

The subject was dropped then and the chatter resumed until Icy asked for the time and decided that she should probably be getting back to her brother. "It was nice meeting everybody." She said softly in the compartment doorway. The girls all squealed about how cute she was as the boys laughed.

"Feel free to talk with us at Hogwarts Icy!" Fred called. Icy nodded and she turned as if to leave. She paused midstep and turned her head slightly.

"Just curious but…what house are you all in?"

"Gryffindors every last one of us."

Icy blinked again. "I see." With that she left quietly, leaving the older students to give each other confused glances.

* * *

As she made her way to the back of the train once again, Icy, for the first time since receiving her letter, wondered what she would do if she were sorted into a different house than Harry. "All things happen for a reason…" she mumbled as she reached the compartment she was sure her brother and the youngest Weasley were in. She couldn't check to make sure because two large bodies were barring the doorway.

Icy cocked her head to the side. "Excuse me…but you're blocking the door."

The two boys turned to stare at her and Icy only stared back for a moment before looking past them to have her eyes alight on a head of blond hair. A smile appeared on her face as a childish gleam of happiness entered her eyes. "Draco!"

* * *

Draco Malfoy turned at the call of his name to see Icy smiling brightly at him, the polar opposite of the expression he was being given by her brother and his friend. The sneer that had been on his face fell away, soon replaced with a half-smile. "Icy."

Icy moved through the small gap left between Crabbe and Goyle before tugging on the sleeve of Draco's cloak and giving the two boys curious glances.

"Who're they?"

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle." Draco introduced the boys in a careless manner.

Icy nodded to the two. "It's nice to meet you." When she turned back around she caught the look on Harry's face and let go of Draco's sleeve. "I'll see you later Draco…okay? I have to talk to my brother."

If Harry or Ron expected the blond to argue, they were sorely disappointed when he just nodded. "Alright." Though, as he left with his two "bodyguards", he still managed to send a sneer at Harry and Ron without Icy noticing.

"What happened?" Icy asked softly, seeing the looks of disgust on the two remaining boys' faces. Harry just shook his head and dropped back into his seat, followed by Ron. Icy decided to let the topic go and sat down next to Harry, tentatively taking his hand. When he didn't take it away, she was content with lacing their fingers together as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What _has_ been going on?" A girl with bushy brown hair stood in the compartment door, dressed in her robes already. Instead of answering her, Ron had turned back to Harry. "You've met Malfoy before?"

Harry had to explain about meeting Draco in Madame Malkin's before he nudged Icy. "I don't really understand why you like him so much Icy…he seems like a right prick to me."

"It's not something I can explain to you Harry…" Icy mumbled, though she was sure Harry hadn't heard her as Ron had started explaining about the Malfoy's involvement with You-Know-Who a couple years ago. So, to occupy herself, Icy turned her attention to the girl that had been ignored.

"Hello. I'm Icy."

"Hermione Granger."

"That's a pretty name…"

"Oh…uhm…thank you."

The boys seemed to be done with their conversation as Ron turned to Hermione and asked, rather rudely, "Can we help you with something?"

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on. I've asked the conductor and he says that we're nearly there."

"Would you mind leaving while we change?" Ron asked, scowling.

"All right. You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" Hermione said in a sniffy voice before turning and leaving. Icy frowned. She didn't really like Ron all that much, she decided. Well then, there was something she and Harry had in common. They didn't like each other's friends.

* * *

Harry and Ron both took off their jackets before pulling on their school robes. After helping her locate her robes, Harry and Ron stood outside the compartment while Icy changed quickly. She was just finished when the announcement came on telling all students that the train was approaching Hogwarts. She pulled the compartment door open and her eyes met with Harry's, she was suddenly much more nervous than she had been.

After the train had stopped, students pushed onto the platform where Hagrid's voice could be heard, calling for first years. Holding tightly to Harry's hand, Icy was dragged along to the area where a fleet of boats were waiting for them. They all piled into boats, Icy and Harry sharing one with Ron, a boy named Neville, and Hermione (seeing as Icy was small enough to not take up too much room).

After the breathtaking trip across the lake, the first years were lead up to the castle where they were greeted by a tall black-haired witch that Hagrid called Professor McGonagall. They were then lead to a small chamber just off to the side of where Icy supposed the rest of the school was. After explaining the rules to them, Professor McGonagall swept out, leaving the first years to whisper to each other in fright. Just before McGonagall returned the first years were treated to their first meeting with the school's resident ghosts.

After forming a line, McGonagall began to lead the first years into the Great Hall. As soon as she passed through the double doors, Icy felt incredibly insignificant. It was so…so…strange yet…splendid at the same time. After she had gotten her fill of looking around, Icy followed the other students' lines of vision and found them all to be watching a pointed wizard's hat that McGonagall had just set down on top of a four-legged stool. She stared at it too, and took in a sharp breath when a rip near the brim opened and the hat began to sing.

Icy listened intently to the hat's song, trying to figure out which house she would belong in. As she thought, she didn't realize that the sorting had begun. It was only when Harry's hand tightened around her's did she snap out of her thoughts.

"Potter, Harry!"

Icy gave Harry's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go so that he could walk forward. Whispers broke out like wildfire throughout the Great Hall as students began to crane their necks trying to get a look at her brother. Icy watched curiously as the Sorting Hat was dropped onto Harry's head and began to murmur quietly to her brother. A few moments later, the rip opened wide and shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" for the whole hall to hear. The cheers that resulted from the decree could have raised the ceiling…if there had been a visible one. Icy could faintly hear Fred and George yelling, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

"Song-Potter, Icy!"

A hush fell upon the students as Icy jerked her head to face McGonagall with wide eyes. Was that her birth parents' name? Song? She took a small step forward before she felt Ron's hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Her pale gaze swept to the redhead to find that he was just as nervous, if not more so than her. Maybe she'd misjudged him on the train. She gave a miniscule nod before ascending a short flight of stairs and taking a seat on the stool where McGonagall dropped the Sorting Hat onto her head and Icy's vision was plunged into darkness.

"Why…I didn't expect to sort another one of _your_ kind for a long while yet." A small voice seemed to whisper in Icy's head.

"My kind…?" Icy murmured back questioningly.

"That's not important for the moment…where should I put you? Such loyalty to your friends and dedication to your brother…but what's this? An attachment to another. And such strong beliefs for one so young…"

Icy didn't realize she was holding her breath until then and let it out slowly.

"I've got it."

Icy's eyes widened under cover of the hat as she felt it move to open it's mouth wide and shout,

"SLYTHERIN!"


	4. Little Things

**A/N: I changed Icy's last name to Saylor. This chapter is actually rather bland... I guess it's more of just... filler? I've been at a loss as to what to write recently... sigh...**

~[Aoi-Kun]

* * *

Numbly, Icy felt the Sorting Hat being lifted off her head. As she went back down the few steps, she saw Ron take a step back and she mentally cringed, though her expression was kept eerily calm. She turned and headed to the table that had been clapping politely at the announcement quickly, not wishing to dwell on her thoughts as she couldn't help but feel hurt by the red-head's actions. She could feel the many pairs of eyes upon her back as she neared the table, looks being given to her from the other houses. Her own housemates were staring at her with an emotion she couldn't quite identify, and she didn't bother even trying as her pale gaze swept across the benches, trying to find a place to sit. She saw Draco whisper something to Crabbe before the thickset boy moved over to create a space and then Draco was motioning for her to sit. Icy practically flew into the space as the sorting continued.

Under the table her small hands found one of Draco's slightly bigger ones and clasped it, earning her a glance from the blond before he returned his attention back to the sorting, giving Icy's hand a squeeze. The nine-year old stared at the golden plate on the table before her, her eyes unseeing as an unusual blankness ran rampant through her mind. It was harder than she had thought it would be to be separated from her brother. In fact…she hadn't even looked up to gauge his reaction yet. Would he be mad at her for being sorted into Slytherin? He hadn't seemed to like the house when they'd been discussing it…and then what about Fred and George? And the other older Gryffindors she had met on the train? Would they not want to be her friends anymore?

"Welcome!"

Icy was startled from her thoughts by the booming voice of one Albus Dumbledore and her gaze shot up from the plate to the area where Dumbledore had stood up in.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" Icy's head tilted as she blinked. So… this was Albus Dumbledore? He had a loud voice for someone who looked so frail. But he must have been a very powerful wizard if everyone here was silenced just by his voice.

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" Clapping erupted around her and Icy realized she must have zoned out again as she began clapping a few seconds too late. As soon as the clapping and cheering died down, Icy watched with wide eyes as the empty platters on the tables were suddenly filled with food. It all looked so yummy…she raised her head a bit and risked a glance over to the Gryffindor table, seeing her brother talking to another one of the red-headed Weasleys she deducted, seeing the family resemblance between him and the Weasleys she had already met, she let a small smile settle on her lips before she reached out to pile a couple of Yorkshire Puddings onto her plate. She glanced around at the different dishes and saw what she was looking for, but it was a little further down the table. Icy bit her lip before deciding she didn't really need it. She looked away, glancing at her brother again to see him eating before looking down at her plate and blinking in surprise.

"Roast beef and gravy, right?"

Her silvery eyes darted up to meet with a grey gaze and she smiled. "Yes, thank you Draco." The blond nodded before going back to his own food, leaving Icy to savor her food as she ate slowly. After everyone had eaten their fill, Icy once again watched with happiness glinting in her eyes as the food disappeared, only to be replaced by desserts. Her smile widened when she saw that the treacle tarts were the closest dessert to her and she was quick to procure a slice, immediately taking a bit into her mouth and chewing as she swung her feet lightly back and forth for her legs weren't long enough yet to reach the floor. After finishing her first slice, Icy reached for a block of mint-chocolate-chip ice-cream and ate quite happily. Like most children, Icy had an impressive sweet tooth.

"My mother said that she'd like to have you over sometime for the holidays."

Icy blinked, her spoon halfway to her mouth, before lifting her head and placing her spoon back down.

"Really?"

Icy quite liked the elder Malfoys from what she could remember of them from their short meeting. They didn't seem like such bad people. "I'll have to think about it Draco." She replied with a small smile. Draco nodded before his eyes flickered over to the Gryffindor table.

"So, Potter, huh? Is he a good brother?"

"Mhm. He's always taking care of me even when he doesn't have to."

Draco glanced at the saddened expression on Icy's face when she joined him in looking at the Gryffindor table. "Slytherin's not a bad house Icy. In fact, it's probably the best one out of the four."

This got a soft laugh to slip from Icy's lips as she shook her head at Draco's words. "I believe that all the houses are equal actually. They all have something wonderful to give" she said, just as the desserts disappeared. Icy frowned before shrugging to herself. Draco gave her a funny look before he shrugged as well, though more nonchalantly.

"If you say so."

Before anything else could be said, Dumbledore stood up and the entire hall fell silent. A few announcements later, Icy found herself being helped up from her seat by Draco before being tugged after the rest of the Slytherin first years as they descended into the dungeons. Despite doing her best to remember what passageways they took, Icy knew it would take her a few more times before she'd remember how to get to the Slytherin common room. When the prefect stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall, she knew it would definitely take her a few more times before she remembered where the common room was.

"The password is '_Vis Vires_'. You will need to remember it to get into the common room. The password is changed every fortnight and you can find the newest passwords posted on the notice board, so remember to check it regularly." The prefect informed the first years before turning to the wall and repeating the password. Icy's eyes sparkled as she watched the wall pull away to reveal a hidden corridor that the group was quickly led through. After pointing out the way to the girls' dormitories and the way to the boys' dormitories, the students were dismissed to find their own beds.

Icy gave Draco a quick hug good night before following her new dorm mates to their dorm room. Upon entering the room, it became clear that some of the girls Icy would be living with weren't exactly the nicest people.

"My name is Pansy Parkinson. This is Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass. Who are you?" A black-haired girl introduced and asked at the same time, in a demanding tone. Icy blinked up at the slightly taller girl. She looked a bit like a pug, if she thought about it.

"Icy. Icy Saylor-Potter." The little girl responded. "It's nice to meet you."

A frown appeared on Pansy's face. "Potter? My parents always told me there was only one Potter kid. And you don't look like him at all."

Icy stared at Pansy unblinkingly, and the eleven year old took a step back. Suddenly, Icy turned on her heel and made her way to the bed that her trunk was in front of. "Harry's my brother. That's all I have to say." She mumbled before clambering onto the bed, using her trunk as a step up. There was a moment's silence as her proclamation sunk in. Then there was a general rustle as the other girls clambered into their own beds. As Icy pulled the blanket up under her chin, she heard one of the other girls whisper a "good night Icy." And she smiled slightly to herself before pulling the blanket completely over her head.

Beneath the blanket, Icy curled into a small ball, eyes staring into empty space. This would be her first time spending the night away from Harry that she could remember. Maybe that was the reason why she couldn't sleep as she found herself tossing and turning as the moon moved higher into the night sky. Eventually Icy gave up on falling asleep and pushed her blankets back, sliding out of the bed and padding barefoot out of the dormitory. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet as she walked.

A moment later, Icy descended into the common room where there was a dwindling fire in the grate. She glanced out the window to see a dark shape pass across the glass. She already understood that what she was seeing was not the sky, but under the lake that they had taken the boats across earlier that evening. She moved closer to the window and pressed a small hand to the glass, staring at her translucent reflection in the glass. This was a new beginning, wasn't it? She hadn't imagined having to be apart from her brother… but that was growing up, right?

* * *

"You look like you didn't sleep all night Icy." Draco said after Icy had greeted him a good morning in the Great Hall. Icy mumbled a response, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She sat down next to the boy and yawned, covering her mouth with a hand before repeating her words in a coherent sentence. "I didn't. I couldn't sleep." She reached for a glass of juice and quickly drank it. She glanced at the food around the table sleepily before reaching for a couple of slices of toast and honey. She broke the toast into small pieces before smothering it all with honey.

Draco paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and frowned at Icy's choice in foods. "Is that even healthy?"

"I don't think so." Icy responded, eating carefully.

Draco stared at her for a moment before returning to his own breakfast. There was a teacher in black robes sweeping down the aisles, handing out schedules. "Professor Snape." Draco provided when Icy glanced at him curiously. "He's head of Slytherin House." Icy nodded.

"Icy Saylor-Potter." Icy looked up from her toast, turning in her seat.

"Yes Professor?"

Snape took out a blank sheet of parchment and tapped it with his wand before handing it to Icy. She accepted the parchment and turned back around as Snape moved over to Draco. She looked over her lessons for the day and smiled. She would really be learning magic!


End file.
